TABLE TENNIS

 INTRODUCTION

Table tennis is a very popular recreational and competitive team game played by either individuals (1 v 1) or pairs (2 v 2). The game requires a purpose built table (court) and net, with players aiming to hit the ball continuously over the net and into their opponent’s side of the table to force their opponent(s) to either not return the ball back over the net or to land the ball off the table (out of bounds). It is widely acknowledged that table tennis is the most popular racket sport and the game can be so fast that a ball can travel as fast as 100 mph.

ORIGINS OF TABLE TENNIS

Table tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century. The first generation of table tennis players belonged to middle-class Victorian society, which was inspired to create the game after watching lawn tennis (now known as just tennis). The first game was played using a champagne cork as the ball, cigar boxes as paddles, and a stack of books to make a net. At this point, the makeshift game was merely seen as a way to distract the wealthy from work or other life obligations.

In 1890, Englishman David Foster, attracted by the wide appeal the game had garnered, introduced the first game of table tennis on an actual table. Seven years following Foster’s innovation, table tennis held its first national championship tournament in Hungary. In 1901, following a trip to the United States, James Gibb brought back the first version of a celluloid ball, which was much lighter than the rubber ball that was previously used during competition play. In 1902, E.C. Gould brought back the first model of paddles featuring rubber ridged dots on both sides.

Who Created Table Tennis?

David Foster had a monumental role in elevating the game of table tennis to where it is today, but he is not credited as the sole inventor of the game. After Foster held his first game of table tennis in 1890, others created alternative versions of Foster’s original concept. In 1891, John Jaques & Sons came up with a table tennis variant called “gossima.” Gossima is similar to table tennis but uses slightly different equipment. Regardless of their different equipment, both variations had a difficult time finding success in growing the reach of their game. For gossima, the issue mainly stemmed from the cork ball’s inability to bounce. Alternatively, Foster’s rubber balls were bouncing too much, which messed up the pace of the game. These problems were ultimately solved with the introduction of celluloid balls. In 1900, Jaques & Sons invented the game called ping pong, which eventually was recognized as the main variation of table tennis and trademarked its name.

After ping pong was trademarked by Jaques & Son in 1900, the game slowly grew on a global scale. In 1926, ping pong got its first official set of rules, thanks to the formation of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Over the years, new rules were put into place, and the equipment used in table tennis changed to enhance the overall experience of playing the game. Since 1988, table tennis has even been an official sport in the Summer Olympics. There are also numerous pro tours held by the ITTF and USATT featuring the best table tennis players in the world.

GAMEPLAY

Table tennis matches differ in terms of how many points the games are played to as well as how many games are played until a winner is determined. Each point is awarded by a player either making the opponent miss-hit the ball out of bounds or miss the ball entirely.

Games are played to 11 points unless the score gets to 10 points for both sides. If this occurs, a team has to gain a two-point advantage to win. During this time, following a 10-10 score, players alternate service every point.

At the highest level of singles table tennis in the Olympics, the games are played to 11 points in a best of 5 series where the player to win 3 games first wins the entire match. There are other variations played amongst more casual players such as a best of 3 series in which games are played to 21. In the Olympic setting, each player gets two serves and then alternate back and forth until the game is decided.

If a game is tied 10-10, someone must win by two points, meaning the game goes on as long as it takes for someone to win two points in a row. In this win by two scenario the players alternate every serve as opposed to every two serves. In games played to 21 points, players alternate every 5 serves. The best of 3 and 5 are the most common series lengths, but some matches are best of 7 or even 9!

TABLE TENNIS EQUIPMENT

Table tennis is a table sport that involves two or four players competing against each other. This popular sport is played worldwide and is a popular Summer Olympics event. The objective is to win points by striking a ball that is unsuccessfully returned by your opponent. The equipment needed to participate in a game of table tennis is similar to a shrunken-down version of tennis. Table tennis is played indoors and includes just three pieces of equipment to participate. All you need is a paddle, a ball, and a table to play on! All the additional pieces of equipment are completely optional.

List of Table Tennis Equipment

 Balls

 Paddles

 Tables

 Nets and Posts

 Table Tennis Robots

 Shirts

 Shorts

 Shoes

 Paddle Cases

Table Tennis Balls

Table tennis balls must have a diameter of 40 millimeters and weigh 2.7 grams. Table tennis balls are made out of a unique, plastic-like material called celluloid. Air is trapped inside the ball, which allows it to bounce after striking a paddle or table. The lightweight ball can be struck with different types of rubbers and wrist action, resulting in different spin rates. The faster the spin rate, the more curve you will see from the ball upon striking the receiving player’s half of the table.

Table tennis paddle/racket/bat

The paddles used in table tennis are used to strike the ball onto your opponent’s side of the table. Paddles come in different variations that favor the player’s specific skills and techniques. Paddles must be made of at least 85% wood, but can also include some carbon fiber in their design. On both sides of the paddle is a rubber surface that comes into contact with the ball. These are called “rubbers” and include different patterns that impact the amount of friction applied to the ball. Sometimes, the rubber surface has raised pieces known as “pips.” These pips can vary in length, with longer pips allowing for more spin on the ball, while shorter pips tend to add more speed.

The table

The upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, is 2.74m long and 1.525m wide and is horizontal 76cm above the floor. While the net need to carry a height of 15.25cm or 6 inches measure from the table surface.

Table Tennis Skills

Below is a list of the most important skills needed for table tennis:

 Forehand

 Backhand

 Serving

 Pushes

 Flicks

 Spinning the Ball

 Loops

 Footwork

 Speed

Forehand

A forehand, or forehand drive, is often the first and most fundamental skill that a table tennis player learns. This swing occurs when the ball is coming to the side of the body that is holding the paddle. At the peak of the ball’s bounce, the player rotates their body and arm to hit the ball back over the net. A forehand drive should mimic the motion of hitting the ball with your palm, with the thumb facing upward.

Backhand

A backhand, or backhand drive, is the second most fundamental skill that a table tennis player must learn. This swing occurs when the ball is heading towards the side of the player’s body that is not holding the paddle. In such a scenario, the player could adjust their stance and use footwork to make it a forehand swing, but oftentimes the ball is too fast for that. Instead, they use a backhand swing. They move their paddle across their body’s center point and hit the ball with the backside of the paddle.

Service

A table tennis serve consists of hitting the ball from your hand, bouncing it once on your side of the table, and onto your opponent’s side. Serving is done to start every rally in table tennis. There are countless serving variations used by the best table tennis players, but the most basic forms are forehand and backhand serves. The best serves are well-placed and have spin on them to confuse the opponent.

Pushes

Forehanded and backhanded pushes are used for returning short balls. A short ball means that the opponent hits the ball, and it lands on your side very close to the net. When this happens, the table tennis player leans forward, so they are closer to the ball and net, and instead of swinging at the ball, they make a short, chopping movement to brush the bottom of the ball with their paddle. This generates enough force to get the ball over the net without it flying off the table. Pushes can be done regardless of what side of the body the ball lands at.

Flicks

Forehand and backhand flicks are used to aggressively return an opponent’s ball that has spin on it. Like a push, this often happens when the ball is close to the net. Unlike a push where a player brushes the bottom of the ball to get it back over, the flick uses the quick motion of the wrist and elbow to get the ball right back over the net. This will land on the table more constantly than a full-on swing when returning a short ball.

Spinning the Ball

There are four major types of spin when playing table tennis. First, there is a topspin, which occurs when your paddle swings from low to high. Next, backspin comes from swinging your paddle high to low. Then there is “right side spin,” when your paddle grazes across the ball going left to right. Finally, there is “left side spin” when your paddle goes across from right to left. Spin is very important offensively and defensively because it makes it difficult for your opponent to read your next move.

Loops

In modern table tennis, loops are the most common form of offense used to put spin on the ball for more advanced players. A loop consists of the player swinging their paddle in a path from low to high in an aggressive fashion to hit the ball. This generates a lot of topspin, making it harder for the opponent to return the ball.

Footwork

Having quick feet is essential to becoming a proficient table tennis player. Players must be able to react to balls hit on their side quickly, and mastering footwork patterns is the best way to make sure you get to the ball in time. Table tennis players need to be able to work side to side and in and out. This means you will need to be able to move your feet quickly from one side to the other and from the front to the back of the table. These are the two motions that should be practiced most, as table tennis players rarely find themselves crossing their feet over one another.

By changing pace and angle, players can extend their range and variation of shots. This helps improve their game significantly

Topspin

It’s one of the commonly used attacking shots in the game. Here, the player glides the bottom side of the paddle, while holding it in a 45-degree angle, over the ball to push it ahead. The ball spins after bouncing, making it relatively difficult for the opponent to execute a timely return.

Block

It’s one of the first shots that a table tennis player is taught while being introduced to the game. Standing square of the table, the player holds the paddle with an open face, returning the ball using the paddle side facing the table.

Chop

It’s a defensive shot that many players resort to when trying to negotiate spin. Staying away from the table, here, the player uses the top side of the paddle, pushing it downwards at a 45-degree angle while making contact with the bottom half of the ball.

A chop can be played with both forehand and backhand, depending on the player’s position while receiving the ball.

Speed

Speed is imperative in order to compete at the highest level of table tennis. While casual and recreational games may take a relaxed pace, competitive and professional players serve and volley the ball in excess of 70mph. A competitive table tennis player will have velocity in their serve and swing in addition to an overall quickness in their gameplay.

RULES AND REGULATIONS IN TABLE TENNIS

There are two main types of table tennis: singles and doubles. They each have slightly different rules to them, though the basics of the sport remain the same.

Table Tennis Singles

Table tennis singles play begins with a service. The service has some requirements. According to International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rules, the server must:

Hold the ball in their open palm

Toss the ball at least 6 inches into the air

Hit the ball such that it bounces on the table on the other side of the net

If the ball hits the net as it goes to the other side on a serve, this is called a “let.” If a let occurs, the server gets to re-do their service. Service alternates between the players after every two points scored. In a game series, the players alternate sides of the table every game until the match is over.

Table Tennis Doubles

Doubles play is similar to singles, but there are two key differences. The first main difference is that players must serve the ball diagonally across the table during doubles matches. The server assumes the same serving parameters as singles, but they must cross-serve. They have to serve the ball on their half and side of the table, and the ball has to hit the other half on the other side of the table.

The second main difference between singles and doubles is that the players alternate serves and returns. Like singles, the serve stays on one side of the table for two points, with one player from each team serving both points in a stretch. However, each team’s players have to alternate who hits the ball, and no player on one team can return the ball two times in a row.

General rules

1. GAMES ARE PLAYED TO 11 POINTS

A Game is played to 11 points. A Game must be won by two points. A Match is generally the best three of five Games.

2. ALTERNATE SERVES EVERY TWO POINTS

Each side of the table alternates serving two points at a time. EXCEPTION: After tied 10-10 (“deuce”), service alternates at every point. Can you lose on a serve in ping pong? Yes! There is no separate rule for serving on Game Point.

3. TOSS THE BALL STRAIGHT UP WHEN SERVING

How do you serve the ball in ping pong? Hold the ball in your open palm, behind your end of the table. Toss at least 6” straight up, and strike it on the way down. It must hit your side of the table and then the other side. NOTE: Once the ball leaves the server’s hand it is in play, and so counts as the receiver’s point if the ball is missed or mis-hit.

4. THE SERVE CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN SINGLES

There is no restriction on where the ball lands on your side or your opponent’s side of the table. It can bounce two or more times on your opponent’s side (if so, that’s your point), bounce over the side, or even hit the edge.

5. DOUBLES SERVES MUST GO RIGHT COURT TO RIGHT COURT

The serve must bounce in the server’s right court, and receiver’s right court (NOTE: landing on center line is fair). Doubles partners switch places after their team serves twice.

6. A SERVE THAT TOUCHES THE NET ON THE WAY OVER IS A “LET”

Can the ball hit the net in ping pong? Yes, during a RALLY, if it touches the top of the net and then otherwise lands as a legitimate hit. BUT not when serving. If a served ball hits the net on the way over and otherwise legally bounces in play, it’s a “let” serve and is done over. There is no limit on how many times this can happen.

7. ALTERNATE HITTING IN A DOUBLES RALLY

Doubles partners must alternate hitting balls in a rally, no matter where the ball lands on the table.

8. VOLLEYS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Can you hit the ball before it bounces in ping pong? No. In regular tennis you may “volley” the ball (hitting the ball before it bounces on your side of the net). But in table tennis, this results in a point for your opponent. NOTE: When your opponent hits a ball that sails over your end of the table without touching it and then hits you or your paddle, that is still your point.

9. IF YOUR HIT BOUNCES BACK OVER THE NET BY ITSELF IT IS YOUR POINT

If you hit the ball in a rally or on a serve and it bounces back over the net after hitting your opponent’s side of the table (due to extreme spin), without your opponent touching it, that is your point.

10. TOUCHING THE BALL WITH YOUR PADDLE HAND IS ALLOWED

What happens if the ball hits your finger or hand during a ping pong rally? If the ball touches your PADDLE hand and otherwise results in a legal hit, there is no rule violation and play shall continue as normal. Your paddle hand includes all fingers and hand area below the wrist. But what if the ball touches a player’s body anywhere else during a ping pong rally? You may not touch the ball with your non-paddle hand for any reason. It will result in a point for your opponent. BUT if your opponent’s hit sails over your side of the table without touching it, and hits any part of you or your paddle, that is still your point.

11. YOU MAY NOT TOUCH THE TABLE WITH YOUR NON-PADDLE HAND

You may touch the ball or the table with your paddle hand (after reaching in to return a short serve, for example), or other parts of your body. NOTE: If the table moves at all from your touching it during a rally, that is your opponent’s point.

12. AN “EDGE” BALL BOUNCING OFF THE HORIZONTAL TABLE TOP SURFACE IS GOOD

An otherwise legal serve or hit may contact the top edge of the horizontal table top surface and be counted as valid, even if it bounces sidewise. The vertical sides of the table are NOT part of the legal playing surface.

Table tennis serves and service rules

A table tennis match begins with the umpire conducting a coin-toss. The winner has the options to serve the ball first, receive it, or choose the side of the table they’d like to play from.

The server has to hold the ball with an open palm, toss it up and strike it in a manner that the ball bounces first on the server’s side of the table before bouncing over the net to the other side.

The receiver, however, can return it by hitting it over the net and into the opponent’s half of the table. If the player attempts to return the ball before it bounces, a foul is called.

In singles competition, while the service rule allows the server to serve to any part of the table on the opposite end, in doubles, the service has to travel diagonally across the table. Here, the serving player plays from the right side of the table.

How table tennis points are scored

The aim in table tennis is to strike the ball in a manner that the opponent fails to make contact with the ball, which earns the player a point. This can either be by sheer power, spin or other deceptive means.

However, if the ball hits the net and it fails to bounce over into the opponent’s half, or hits it over the net and out of bounds without coming into contact with the table, the opponent gets a point.

In doubles, the rule gets a bit more tricky. Here, the server and the partner have to alternate while attempting to push the ball on to the opponent’s side of the table. Here the service alternates as well.

The opponent can also be awarded a point if you hit the ball outside the playing surface or if the ball comes in contact with any part of your body while attempting a shot.

There are a few ways to score points in table tennis, including:

 ball bounces twice on the opponent’s side of the table.

 The The ball bounces once on the opponent’s side of the table and then goes out of play.

 The opponent hits the ball before it touches down on their side of the table.

 The opponent touches the table or ball with their free hand.

 The opponent touches the ball with their paddle twice.

How to win in table tennis

According to the laws of table tennis, a player can win a game of table tennis by scoring 11 points – with one point awarded for every infringement. Every player gets to serve twice in a row. The first to 11 points is declared the winner.

If the points are tied at 10-10, a player then has to strive for a two-point lead to win the game.

A match is won by winning games. The number of games per match varies across competitions and categories.

While singles matches are usually a best-of-seven events, doubles are a best-of-five affairs.

Positions and Roles

There are not many positions in table tennis as it is mostly an individual sport. That being said, in doubles there is a server and non server for the team serving and a returner and non returner for the team returning. The server serves the ball to the returner, at which point only the returner can hit the ball. After that, the positions somewhat go out the window and either player on each team can hit the ball. In singles, there is only a server and returner so once the point begins the players move wherever they like.

OFFICIALS AND THEIR DUTIES

In table tennis, referees and umpires are present for the high level matches. A referee is responsible for overseeing the entire tournament being played which includes supervision of the umpires. Any executive decisions or arguments in a specific match are to be dealt with by the referee. The umpires are responsible for focusing on an individual match and determining who wins each point based on the rules of the game. Additionally, at the high level tournaments there are timekeepers, stroke counters, and even a jury!

TACTICS AND STRATEGIES

Table tennis is a unique sport in which you must know your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses just as well as you know your own. In order to properly strategize, you must exploit your opponents weaknesses rather than playing into their strengths. For example, if your opponent has an amazing forehand but struggles with their backhand, you will most likely focus on hitting the ball to their backhand side.

Additionally, players utilize different spins to counter their opponents’ play. For example, if a player hits the ball really hard, his or her opponent may add top spin so the ball has an extra kick to it when it bounces off the table, making it harder to slam the ball back in a return.

TERMINOLOGIES

FOREHAND: A shot done with the racket to the right of elbow for a right hander, the reverse for a left hander. Also abbreviated as FH.

SPIN: The rotation of a ball. Topspin: Spin placed on a ball to allow it to curve down onto the table.

BACKSPIN: When the ball rotates backwards after being hit. It is also called as Underspin.

TOPSPIN: When the ball rotates backwards after being hit. It is also called as Underspin.

SIDESPIN: When the ball rotates sideways either on the left or right after being hit.

SERVE: the first shot, done by the server. It begins with the ball being thrown up from palm of hand and struck by the racket.

RECEIVE: the return of a serve

STROKE: any shot used in the game, including the serve.

DRIVE: when the ball does not rotate but it is a plain shot by tapping the ball forward with the racket.

SMASH: a put away shot. Ball is hit with enough speed so the opponent can not make a return.

COUNTER-DRIVE: a drive made against a drive. Some players specialize in counter-driving.

PUSH: a push is an underspin shot executed over the table, and usually close to the net. This is a passive shot that is used when it is impossible to attack a RACKET: same as bat.

RALLY: the period in which the ball is in play.

BLADE: wooden part of bat. Also called as ply.

SHAKEHAND-GRIP: the most commonly used grip while playing table tennis.

PENHOLD GRIP: Also known as the Chinese grip. Used mainly by the Chinese & Koreans.

REVERSE BACKHAND: The backhand stroke used by a penholder.

TOSS: Tossing the ball high in the air with the palm of the hand.

HIGH TOSS SERVE: When the serve is tossed minimum 5-6 ft. in the air. This serve is used as a great tactic by professional players as this serve has acted as a great weakness for many opponents. However, mastering this serve is a great skill. Not doing it right could give away cheap points.

BLOCK: A quick, off the bounce return done from an aggressive topspin or drive by just holding the racket in the ball’s path.

CHOP: It’s a heavy underspin shot generally used by defensive players. It’s usually executed away from the table and below the table top. A chop forces the ball to drop downwards when it hits an opponent’s racket.

KILL: A put away shot. Ball is hit with enough speed so the opponent cannot make a return.

LOB: A shot played far from the table where most of the shot returns are high in the air with generally 6 ft. above the table with no upper bar.

DEAD: A ball without any spin.

DEEP: A ball that lands deep on the table. A serve that will not bounce twice on the opponent’s side of the table if given the chance is also considered deep.

DRIVE: The basic topspin shot executed close to the table. Also called a counter, counter drive, or smash.

LOOP: The shot that currently dominates the sport. This is an extreme topspin shot. This curve allows the player to hit the ball harder and still rely on the spin of the ball to cause the ball to dive down onto the table. Also, a loop will ‘skip’ on the table top taking sharp changes in directions. A loop will also tend to ‘pop’ upwards when it strikes the opponents racket. The opponent has to deal with

A curving ball,

A ball that changes directions when it hits the table, and

A ball that will jump off his racket unpredictably unless he compensates for spin.

A loop will also counter heavy spin (topspin or underspin) from an opponent. It can be executed above or below the table top, close or far away from the table.

DROP SHOT: Short placement – very close to the net. A key point in making a drop shot is to not allow the ball to fall off the table after the first bounce. i.e. Drop shots should bounce at least twice on the opponents side of the table before falling off.

AROUND THE NET: When player hits the ball but not over the net. The ball lands on the opponent’s court from the side of the net. This is considered as a valid shot and it takes years of practice to master this stroke.

FLAT: A ball that has no spin, usually travelling with good pace.

FLICK OR FLIP: A shot generated over the table close to the net, usually with the power generated only from the upper arm or the wrist. Used to start offense on a short ball.

CROSS- COURT: A ball that is hit diagonally from corner to corner.

DOWN THE LINE: A ball that is hit along the side of the table, parallel to the sidelines, is hit down the line.

WINNER: A term used when the Player hits the shot in such a way that the player is in no condition to return the ball on the table.

FOOTWORK: How a person moves to make a shot.

POINT: A unit of scoring in table tennis.

LET: Service ball hitting the net or a distraction that causes the point played over.

TIME OUT: There could be times when you are losing badly in a table tennis match and your brain is not tactically able to think. That’s the time when you need a break. This is allowed officially as well. ITTF allows each player to take a time out of 1 minute between a set only once. This is not a mandatory thing.

The player can take It only if he or she thinks it is necessary. Want to take a time out? Just do a hand gesture with a T-sign, the umpire shall allow you for the same. While taking a time out, a player needs to keep his/her racket at the table and is not allowed to take it along unless both the umpire and the opponent approves for the same.

GAME: Set. Each game is played to 11 points unless a deuce occurs.

GAME POINT: Last point of a game.

HITTER: A style of play where hitting is the primary shot.

CHOPPER: A style of play where chopping is the primary shot.

LOBBER: A style of play lobbing is the primary shot.

LOOPER: A style of play where the primary shot is the loop.

3rd BALL ATTACK: An attack when in the; 1st ball – Player serves, 2nd ball – Opponent returns, 3rd ball – Player attacks in such a way that the opponent is not able to return the ball.

SPONGE: The part of the table tennis rubber which helps the racket to give additional speed.

TOP SHEET: The top part of the racket above the sponge.

ITTF: International Table Tennis Federation, founded 1926, is the world governing body of the sport, and its members are the table tennis Associations of more than 150 countries.

JUNK: Rubber that produce no spin, such as anti-spin and long-pips.

PIPS: The small conical bits of rubber that cover a sheet of table tennis rubber.

PIPS OUT: A type of racket covering. It consists of a sheet of pips out rubber on top of a layer of sponge. The pips point outward, the opposite of inverted.P

TWIRL: Turning of the paddle, used for confusing opponents on which side of the paddle is being used. Not as deceptive now due to the two color law, namely black on one side and bright red on the other side. Usually utilized with combination bat.